| Tweet |
Adam Eudy learned how to cook so he could forget how to clean.
Growing up with his parents and four siblings in Charlotte, the Eudy House Rules were simple: Either you help in the kitchen or you help at the sink.
By age 11, Eudy decided the first option was for him.
“I guess you could say I got into it by trying not to clean,” said Eudy, whose family now lives in Bluffton.
He’s gotten more out of it than just drier hands, cleaner clothes and a full belly.
Now 15, Eudy is on a fast track to culinary stardom.
It started by preparing meals and treats for his family. It has developed into creating first-class cuisine and pastries for some of the world’s most respected dignitaries, learning the tools of the trade from top chefs.
In short, Eudy has found his calling.
“I found that one thing everybody wants to find and I found it at an early age,” he said. “I started by trying out recipes, like ‘Oh, that sounds good.’ Along the way I started realizing I’m decent at this. Why not take it to another level and get better at it?”
Everything was set in motion a while back when Eudy’s parents took the family to dinner at a new restaurant on Hilton Head Island — Robert Irvine’s eat!
Executive chef Lee Lucier was in the dining room greeting guests and struck up a conversation with Eudy’s mother, Crystall.
“We just got to talking about kids and home schooling,” she said. “I told him Adam enjoys cooking and he said we should bring him by and let him check out the kitchen.”
Since then, Eudy has become a back-of-the-house regular at the restaurant. Each week, he meets with eat! Chef d’Cuisine Jared McElroy to drudge through culinary arts workbooks.
“His baking skills are phenomenal for his age,” McElroy said. “I think he’s got a fantastic future. He’s got the drive and the wherewithal to thrive at whatever he decides to do.”
Irvine himself took notice of Eudy’s desire and potential. When the Food Network star hosted the “Dinner: Possible” fundraiser for the production of ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” in Beaufort County last year, he asked Eudy to help make pastries for the event.
Eudy met several chefs from the Pentagon and other branches of the military at the fundraiser. He also worked with one of President George W. Bush’s former chefs.
“That sort of led to other things,” Crystall Eudy said. “Any time we are in D.C., he just calls his chef friends at the Pentagon and he can go hang out and cook for the Joint Chiefs of Staff.”
Last March, Eudy’s friends in high places invited him to the annual Culinary Arts Competition in Fort Lee, Va. His hosts rolled out the red carpet, telling him he could cook anything he wanted so long as they could put a microphone on him and stream his cooking demonstrations over the Internet.
He left with an invitation to return to the Joint Culinary Center of Excellence any time he likes.
Eudy’s biggest achievement to date came just last month. He was asked to be the pastry chef at a Christmas party hosted by four-star Gen. Robert Cone and his wife at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, close to Newport News, Va. Eudy was responsible for all the desserts and breads for the 200-guest event, again working with several high-end cooks, including one of President Clinton’s former chefs.
Eudy is a grade ahead and is scheduled to graduate in a year. His goal is to complete his basic American Culinary Federation certification before going off to culinary school. Right now, his top choice is New York’s Culinary Institute of America, considered the top cooking school in the world. If that doesn’t work out, he may follow in the footsteps of several of his military pals. Other goals are to own his own restaurant, preferably a Five-Diamond resort in the Caribbean.
“I feel like there is still so much I need to learn,” he said.
Eudy has shown he can shine outside of the kitchen as well. He has played the violin since age 4 and is a member of the Hilton Head Youth Orchestra. He is a first lieutenant in the Civil Air Patrol, the Air Force auxiliary, and last year was crowned a South Carolina state color guard champion. He is also active in puppetry through the youth ministry at his church and has done some public speaking events.
He also continues to cook for his family.
“Most of the time, the feedback they give me is great,” Eudy said. “Sometimes it’s negative. This needs more salt, this needs more flavor, that wasn’t flavorful enough. It’s definitely better than some critic that doesn’t really give you improvement options.”
Plus, he doesn’t have to worry about cleaning up the mess after.
